Fastener-feeding mechanism



- 6. W. JACQUES.'. FASTENER FEEDING MECHANISM.

. 7 APPLICATION FILED OCT. 31. 1917. 1,434,702.

Patented Nov.

Patented Nov" '2, 1192250 umrsn GEORGE RV. JACQUES, OF STRATFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOB TO THE SINGER MANU- FACTURING CGltIPANY, A. OOBE'ORATION 0F NEVI JERSEY.

, FASTENER-IEEDING MECHANISM;

Application filed October 31, 1917. Serial No. 199,499.

1 0 all whomit may concern:

Be it known that l, Geo-non W. JAo Uns, a citizen of the United gitates, residing at Stratford, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fastener- Feeding Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to fastener feeding mechanism for machines designed to mitomatically insert fasteners in sheet material and is herein shown as especially adapted for use with machines of the duplex type for setting eyelets in each of two supei posed pieces of such material. It is to be understood, however, that its I ie is not limited to this type of machine but that many of its features may be advantageously ermoloyed in connection with eyeletting 111a chines of other types 1 s well as in machines designed to set fasteners of other kinds such as lacing hooks or the like.

" ine 0 the greatest d culties in the open :7 of nnichines of re above type is encountered in the attempt to secure a free and uniform flow of f:i. perthe weight of the large mass of fasteners acting to choke the outlet well as tend innto produce a binding action of the leners between the agitator and hopper causing a distortion or breakage of the fasteners. While some attempts have been made to overcome the above difliculties, none, it is believed have been wholly successful, and it is therefore an object of this inven ti :1 to provide means securing a free and uniform flow of fasteners to the outlet without any tendency to cause binding or chole ing of the same. while at the same time insuring a continuous supply of fasteners tinoughout a relatively long period of operation.

Another source of ditlieulty in the operation of machines of the above type in which an agitator in the form of a brush is emplovedn arises from the fact that the brush tu fail to wear down uniformly which results in a faulty operation of th same geners from the hop and necessitates a frequent renewal of the entire agitator. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an agitator brush in which the above difliculty is overcome.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a simple and improved means for use in machines of the duplex type whereby series of fasteners may be fed directly from the hopper to the superposed raceways in reversed position and for securing a uniform flow of fasteners to both raceways, aswell as to provide a feed mechanism adapted to feed fasteners of different styles and sizes, including provision for relative adjustment of the raceways.

Other features of the invention, in addition to those above referred to and includ ing important details of construction and improved combinations of parts, the advantages of which will be clear to those skilled in the art will be hereinafter more particularly decribed and claimed.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof selected forpiu poses of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a front elevation of the mechanism, certain parts being indicated in section,-Fig. 2 is a plan view, parts being broken away to show the internal structure. Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the hopper, and Fig. & is a detail view of the gaten'ieniber and its supporting parts removed I from the hopper.

4: indicates any suitable support preferably provided with a bearing surface 11.. Mounted upon said support is an arm 154, said arm being provided with afoot 2-360 pivotally mounted at its rear end by means of a bolt and provided at its forward end with a slot 350. Passing through said slotintothe supportingsurface is a bolt 352 by means of which the arm 15d may be adjustably fixed in position laterally of the supporting surface. Such adjustment is desirable at times for adjusting the delivery ends of the raceways which are supportedat their upper ends by devices carried by said arm 154, the purpose of such adjustment being hereinafter described. The arm 154 is provided at its outer extremity with an inclined bearing boss 155. Loosely supported within said bearing is a sleeve 156, said sleeve havingintegral therewith or fixed thereto a plate 157 resting upon the upper extremity of said bearing 155. The plate 157 forms the base of the receptacle for fasteners, said base being provided with a series of brackets 158 adapted to removably support. a drum or hopper 160, suitable means such as bolts and wing-nuts 159 being provided for holding the parts in fixed relation.

The hopper 160 may be provided in its upper wall with a suitable opening for filling the same with fasteners. As illustrated herein, automatic means may be supplied for feeding fasteners .to said hopper through the opening formed therein and such means may consist of a reservoir 161 suitably sup ported and having a feed-spout 163 extending downwardly through the opening into said hopper. Said reservoir may if desired be adjustably supported whereby to vary the distance of the extremity of the feedspout from the bottom of the hopper thereby serving to provide means for adjusting the feed of fasteners to the hopper. Such hopper supplying means is well lrnown and no claims are made herein to this structure.

Mounted for rotation within the sleeve 156 is a shaft 164 said shaft having fixed at its lower end a gear 165 and having mounted upon its upper end a dished-plate 166 said plate being attached to the shaft by any suitable means such as a screw 167. the couveX portion of said plate being uppermost. Within the rim of said plate are a series of radial openings 168 adapted for the reception of individual brush-tufts 169, the arrangement being such that the tufts extend outward in a direction substantially parallel to radial elements of said convex surface of the plate. that is to say in a direction somewhat inclined to the shaft 164. Such tufts may be provided with ferrules 170 of any suitable material adapted to hold the bristles of said brush in proper relation, said ferrules fittingwithin the openings formed in said plate and being independently secured there-- in by set-screws 171 or by any other suitable means.

In machines of this type as heretofore known, no means has been provided for the renewal of one or more of the bruslrtufts if as frequently happens, such tufts become loose or worn before the remainder of the brush, thus necessitating removal of the entire agitating device and substitution of new one, whereas by applicants construction one or more individual brush tufts may sorted to the discharge opening.

be renewed at slight cost and small expenditure of time and labor, the desirability of which will be understood by those skilled in the art.

While the above method of securing the brush to the plate is a preferred form it is not to be understood that this invention is limited to the specific means shown as it is clearly evident that any other suitable equivalent means may be substituted therefor within the scope of the claims herein presented.

Mounted upon the upper end of the shaft 164 and above plate 166 is a convex supporting or baffle plate 100. This plate may be secured to the sh ft in any sui .ble manner as by means 0; the same screw 167 as is employed for holding plate 166 thereto. This supporting plate is of a diameter slightly less than that of the agitator, extending as herein shown to cover all but substantially the outer half of the brush tufts thus leaving only a narrow circumferential channel between its edge and the wall of the hopper for the passage of fasteners downward into the path of the brush.

The purpose or function of this plate is to support the mass of fasteners in the hopper, thus relieving the brush-tufts of this duty to a large extent and resulting in only a comparatively small number of fasteners being swept around by the brush and premany machines of the prior art dificulty has been experienced, especial y when the hopper was well filled or when attempts were made at automatically replenishing the hopper from a supply reservoir, in securing a uniform and steady flow of fasteners from the discharge opening, but by provision of the baffle plate herein disclosed, the above ditlculty has been overcome.

Projecting from the supporting arm 15 1 are a pair of lugs 17 2, said lugs being provided with aligned bearings within which is supported a shaft 173 said shaft being pr vided at its outer extremity with a gear 17- meshing with the gear 165 and being provided at its opposite extremity with a pulley 176. Passingabout the pulley 176 is belt 180, adapted to be driven from any suitable source of power.

The base-plate 1.57 is provided at one side with a downwardly depressed area indicated in Fig. 2, at 157', said area merging into the floor of the drum by gradual inclines 157 at its ends. The drum 160 is provided. with a slot 181 located at its edge and adjacent the depressed portion of the base-plate 157.

thereby providing a cischargze opening' for fasteners contained within the drum. Adjustably secured to the wall of the drum as by set-screws 182 is an apron 188 extending downwardly into said discharge opening and being provided with a portion defiected at substantially right angles to the body-portion of the apron.

Secured upon the edge of the plate 157 at the depressed portion thereof and adjacent the discharge opening in the drum are a pair of brackets 185, said brackets serving to removably position a supporting member 186, said member being provided with a projecting fin 187 (see Fig. i) and such [in carrying at its free end a gate-member 188. While the supporting member 186. the fin and the gatemember are here n shown integral it is clearly evident to those skilled in the art that these several devices may within the scope of the invention be formed as separate parts suitably secured together and it is also evident that while the support 16 is shown as formed separately fr in the brackets 185 the same mightbe integrally united therewith.

The gate-member 1823 presents two outstanding flanges 189, such flanges serving as the inner wall of channels 190 formed between the same and the inner wall of the support 186. l Vithin the flanges 189 are cut a series of pairs of grooves or slots 191. said grooves or slots serving to permit the passage of flanged fasteners from the hopper into the channels 190.. these grooves or channels being of such shape as not to perniit the passage therethrough of fasteners except such fasteners be in a predetermined position with respect thereto. The singlechambered supply hopper is thus provided with a single discharge means comprising the lateral opening 181 and the gate-mem her 188 dis iosed therein and serving to direct the eyelets delivered in two separate superposed series. the component eyelets of the different series having their work-penetrating one s oppositely or reversely directed.

Fasteners such as employed in the present machine and herein described as eyelets are usually formed as a short tube havingan outwardly turned flange at one end thereof and therefore have opposite ends of different character. thus requiring special arrangement for proper application to the work to which they are applied.

it will be noted from inspection of Fig. 3 that the supporting member 186 is so located with respect to the plate 157 and the outwardly turned portion of the apron 184.- as to present narrow spaces above and below the same. such spaces being of suhstantially the thickness of the flange of a fastoner. the grooves in the gate-member being of a width substantially equal to the diame ter of the tubular portion of the fastener. By reason of the inclination of the brush tufts and the provision of the depressed area in the base plate adjacent the discharge openingit will be seen that the brushes.

which norn'ially contact with the base plate.

are relieved of such contact in passing said away area, and at the same time present their free extremities substantially centrally of the gate-member 188, thus providing for a uniform action of the brush at both the upper and lower series of grooves 191.

it will also be noted that by the provision of the depressed area in the base plate adjacent the discharge opening, the vertical height and thereby the cross sectional area of the hopper at this point is increased serving to give greater freedom of motion to the mass of fasteners which is being swept past the opening by the agitating device. choking of the discharge opening by jannning of the fasteners therein being thus to a great extent prevented.

It will now be appreciated tl at upon pres entation of a series of fasteners to the gatemember by the rotation of the agitating brush, such fasteners as are presented with their flanges in position to enter the space between the top and bottom of the gate member and the adjacent walls of the hopper may pass through the grooves in the gate-member and into the channels 190. As will be c. y seen from this construction the fasteners permitted to enter the channels 190 form two separate series having their tubular portions opposed to each other. the flanged ends of the fasteners being directed from each other.

In fastener setting machines as previously constructed various methods of presenting fasteners in proper position to be operated.

on by opposed sets of fastener-setting means have been employed among which may be mentioned the use of hopper devices provided with independent receptacles for fasteners. each being adapted to supply a raceway,the use of single chambered drums having means for separating the fasteners into two substantially independent masses with separate agitating devices therefor and with separate discharge openings,-and the use of a single chambered drum having a single discharge opening and with means for reversing a portion of the fasteners after they have left said discharge opening.

It will be noted that in all of these constructions complication of parts is necessary and that with devices of this character it is necessary to employ raceways having more or less abrupt changes of curvature. or to employ reversing means between the hopper and the raceway. is well known to those skilled in the art, all such abrupt changes in curvature of the raceways and the employment of reversing means therein are fruitful sources of trouble in the practical operation of machines of this type, resulting in irregular feed of fasteners and occasioning frequent stoppage of the machine with consequent annoyance to the operator.

In the present machine the endeavor has been to avoid all such sources of delay in operation by the employment of raceways having only a very gradual caange of direction and the elimination of all reversing devices between the hopper and the del very end of the raceway. The above objection and Lll'fllCUltlQS are avoided by the use of applicants device wherein the fasteners are disnarged directly from the hopper in indeendent reversed series and wherein such fasteners may be fed directly to two substantially like raceways which may be of the most simple form and construction necessary to lead the fasteners from their point of egress to the setting device, the raceways herein shown being parallel throughout and of substantially equal lengtlnresultmg in decreased cost of production as well as greater certainty of operation.

In the arrangement shown, the gate-incur her 188 provided with a series of grooves of a given width especially adapted to permit the passage of a predetermined type of fastener although fasteners of rather widely varying sizes may be employed therein successfully. but by reason of the fact that the grate-member is removably supported it is evident. that other gate-members having: grooves of different sizes may be provided with the machine thereby to permit the employment therewith of fasteners of any de sired size or type.

The plate 157 has attached thereto or integral therewith. at apoint adjacent the discharge opening 181, the base-member 192 of the lower of pair of raceways said basemember being herein shown as connected to said plate by means of a screw 193 or other suitable means. The base-member 192 herein disclosed is in the form of a plate extending downwardly with a gradual curvature from its support toward the delivery point forthe fasteners. Cooperating with this base-plate and suitably spaced therefrom by means such as washers 1.94- are a pair of guide-plates 195 these plates being); spaced apart. to provide a channel continuous with the lower channel 190 of the sup-- iortins; member 186., thereby to provide guiding; means for the tubular portions of fasteners moving: in said channel, the flanges thereof sliding upon the base-plate 192 and extending into the space between said baseplate and the guiding plates The guiding plates are secured to the baseplate by suitable connections such as screws 196 and by removing these screws guiding plates of various widths may be attached to the base-plate. lVashers of different thicknesses may also be employed between said plates thus enabling; the raceway to be adapted for use with fasteners of greatly different sizes. Secured to the base-plate 192 is a bracket 197 said bracket being provided with a threaded opening 198 having engaging therein the clamping screw 199. Coopcrating with said bracket 19? is a second bracket 200 said bracket having a slot therein adapted to take over the screw 199, there by providing for adjustment of bracket 200 with respect to bracket 197. The bracket serves as a supporting means for the base plate 201 of the upper raceway said upper raceway being of substantially the same constructioi'i as the lower racew y. it therefore being unnecessary to describe the sane in detail it being noted, however, that the parts thereof are relatively reversed with respect to corresponding parts of the lower race.

By the above constriu'sgion the receiving end of the upper raceway may be adjusted to bring it into alignment with the upper raceway or channel of the supporting member 186 such adjustment being desirable times due to interchange of such supporting members 186 for use with different sizes of fasteners. lVhile means has been herein described for adjusting the rac s for use with fasteners of varying sizes, it also within the scope of the present invention to provide the machine with a ser es of interchangeable, non-adiustable races, each adapted for a en size of fas ener.

llpon a suitable part of the supporting frame, as at see Fig. 1, is formed a flat seat which may integral with the machine frame or attached thereto, such seat being adapted to form a slide-way for a raceway supporting member 234-, suitable means such as the bracket-arm 236, being provided for properly positioning said member 23 1 with relation to the seat but permitting limited lateral movement thereof. Said member is herein shown as in the form of a yoke having a lower arm 234 integral therewith, said arm having a surface for engaging the seat 283 above noted, and an upper arm 235 adjustably secured thereto as by means of a slot 236 and set-screw 237. see 1? 2. Secured to the lower arm 234 either directly or by the use of an intervening bracket is the base-member 192 of the lower race and secured to the lower side of the upper arm 235 is the base member 201 of the upper raceway it being evident from this construction that by adjustment of the arm 285 with respect to the arm 23453 the position of the delivery end of the upper raceway in a direction from front to rear of the machine may be varied with respect to the lower raceway.

The arrangement of parts above described provides for the following adjustments First enovement of the member 23st from front to rear, by any desired manual or automatically actuated means, will cause a simultaneous adjustment of the upper and lower raceways in a direction transverse thereof,

Second,'-the slot and screw connection of arm 235 to yoke 2% permits adjustment of the upper raceway with respect to the lower raceway in a direction transverse thereof.

Third,-the pivotal mounting of hopper carrying arm 15% together with the freely slidable raceway supporting member 234 permits a simultaneous adjustn'ient of the two raceways in a direction longitudinal thereof,-

Fourth,the provision of the screw and slot connection between the upper ends of the raceways enables the receiving ends of the latter to be spaced at slightly varying distances apart.

Such adjustments are desirable and in many cases necessary for the proper operation of the machine, as for example, the simultaneous transverse adjustment may be employed for presenting fasteners to the setting tools of the machine, while the independent transverse adjustments and the ion gitudinal adjustment may be necessary when employing fasteners of different sizes or for properly centering the delivery end of the raceways with respect to the setting tools.

he lower or discharge end of the raceway is provided with a resilient retaining finger a; of usual construction and arrangement.

Having thus indicated the nature of the invention, and having specifically described a mechanism embodying a preferred form thereof, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. lin a fastener feeding mechanism, a hopper for fasteners, a rotary agitator brush in said hopper, and a supporting or baffle plate above said brush and of a diameter slightly less than that of the brush.

2. In afastener supplying device, a hopper for fasteners, a rotary agitator brush, and a supporting plate of upwardly convex form above said. brush, said plate being of such diameter as to cover all but the outer extremities of the brush tufts.

8, in a fastener supplying mechanism for fastener setting machines, in combination, an agitator for fasteners comprising a driven shaft, a dish-shaped plate secured to said shaft, the convex side of said plate being uppermost, a series of radial openings in the rim of said plate, and means for securing a brush tuft in each of said openings.

4. In a fastener supplying machine, a cylindrical hopper having a lateral discharge opening, and being provided with a rotary agitator, said hopper comprising a base-plate having a depressed area adjacent said discharge opening, the depressed area merging into the plane of the main portion of the plate by a gradual incline.

In a fastener supplying machine, a cylindrical hopper having a lateral discharge opening, and a rotary agitator brush having brush tufts ararnged at an inclination to the axis of the hopper, said hopper comprising a base-plate having a depressed area ad acent the discharge opening, the surface of said depressed area forming one wall of the discharge opening.

6. in a fastener supplying device, a hopper having a lateral discharge opening therein, a portion of said opening being located below the plane of the base of the hopper, and a rotary agitator element presenting its free extremity substantially centrally of the discharge opening.

7. In a fastener supplying mechanism, a cylindrical hopper, having a lateral discharge opening, a rotary' agitator therein comprising a brush having tufts inclined toward the base of the hopper, said hopper comprising a base-plate having a depressed area at one side thereof, and agate-member supported on the base-plate at said depressed area and adapted for discharging fasteners in two separate series, the free extremities of said brush tufts in passing over said depressed area moving in a plane central of said gate-member.

8. In a fastener suplying mechanism for fastener setting machines, in combination, a hopper, and means for discharging fasteners from said hopper through a single o iicning, in a plurality of lines, the fasteners of adjacent lines being discharged in reversed position, with respect to each other.

9. In a fastener supplying mechanism for fastener setting machines, in combination, a hopper having a lateral discharge opening, and means for discharging two parallel series of fasteners from said opening, the fasteners of the respective series being in reverse position with respect to each other.

10. In a supplying mechanism for fasteners each having opposite ends of different character, in combination, a single chambered fastener receptacle having a single discharge opening therein, and means cooperating with said discharge opening for delivering through the same two independent transversely separated series of said fasteners, the fasteners of one series being in reversed relation to those of the other series.

11. In combination, in a supplying device for fasteners having opposite ends of ,115 different character, a single chambered fas ,tener container, and means located adjacent one end of saidcontainer for discharging a plurality of independent series of said fas teners in reversed end-to-end relation.

12. In combination, in a fastener supplying device, a receptacle for fasteners having a discharge opening therein, and means cooperating therewith to discharge fasteners from said opening in a plurality of reversely .125 arranged unaligned series.

13. In combination, in a fastener supplying device, a receptacle for fasteners having a discharge opening therein, and a gate for said discharge opening, said gate comprising a member of a shape substantially to conform to said opening and provided with a pair of grooves at its opposite edges, said grooves being of such form as to permit the passage of a pair of reversely positioned fasteners;

14. In combination, in a fastener supplying device, a receptacle for fasteners having a discharge opening therein, and a; gate adapted to cooperate with said opening, said gate comprising a member having a series of pairs of oppositely arranged grooves therein, the grooves of each pair being so shaped as to permit of the passage of fas teners therethrongh, but only in reversed relative position.

15. In combination, in a fastener supplying device, a receptacle for fasteners'having a discharge opening therein, and means for regulating the discharge of fasteners therethrough, said means comprising a supporting plate provided with a central fin, a gate carried by said fin and spaced thereby from the supporting member to fornt'i channels therebetween and a series of oppositely ar ranged grooves in said gate leading into said channels, the grooves being of such shape as to cause the discharge of reversely arranged series of fasteners through said gate into said channels.

16. In a device for use in fastener setting machines, in con'ibination, a: single chambered supply hopper, means adjacent one end of said hopper for discharging fasteners therefrom in two reversely arranged series, an agitator within said hopper moving in a single circular path adjacent said discharging means, and a raceway for each of said series of fasteners, said raceways re ceiving the fasteners directly from the discharging means in closely adjacent positions.

17. In a device for use in fastener setting machines, in combination, a single chambered supply hopper having a single delivery opening. and means including a single eyelet-agitating member acting adjacent said opening for discharging fasteners therefrom in two reversely arranged parallel series.

18. In a device for use in fastener setting machines, in combination, a single chambered supply hopper, a single means for discharging fasteners therefrom in two reversely arranged series, an agitator within said hopper moving in a single circular path adj acent said discharging means, and a raceway for each of said series of fasteners, said raceways receiving the fasteners direct ly from the discharging means.-

19. In a device for use in fastener setting machines, a cylindrical supply hopper having a single discharge opening at one side thereof, and means for discharging fasteners' through said opening in a plurality of superposed series relative to the axis of said hopperv 2f); Ina device for use in fastener setting machines. a singlecliambered supply hopper, and n1eansf r discharging fasteners therefrom at adjacent points and at the same side of" said hopper in a plurality of super= posed series, the fasteners of each series having their work-penetrating ends directed oppositely to those of the adjacent series.

21'. Ina device for use in duplex fastener setting machines, in combination, a hopper and a, pair of raceways for fasteners lead ing from a single opening in said hopper, said racewaysbeing superposed and substantially parallel from end to end.

\ 22. In a mechanism for use in duplex fastener setting machines, in combination, a hopper and a pair of raceways adapted to carry fasteners disposed in reversely arranged relation from a single opening in said hopper, said raceways being of sub stantially the same length and substantially parallel.

23. In a device for use'in fastener setting machines of the duplex type, a hopper, removable means'for discharging tworeversely arranged series of fasteners therefrom, a pair of superposed races for said fasteners, and means for relatively adjusting the receiving ends of the races.

24. In a duplex raceway for fastener setting machines, a suitably supported race member, a bracket mounted thereon, a second race member parallel to the first and provided with a bracket, and means for adjust'ably securing said brackets together whereby the relative spacing of said races may be varied.

25. B1 a duplex raceway for fastener setting machines', a. suitably supported race member. a bracket mounted near one end thereof, a second race-member having a bracket, said last named bracket being" provided with a slot, and a set-screw passing through said slot and engaging said first bracket whereby the brackets may be adjustably secured together to permit of variation of the relative spacing of the raceways.

26. In a fastener supplying mechanism, a support, a hopper device, an adjustable bracket arm mounted on said support and having a bearing for rotatably supporting said hopper device and movably supported race connected with said hopper device, whereby adjustment of said bracket acts to adjust the delivery end of said race.

27. In a fastener supplying mechanism, a supporting member, an arm mounted upon said membe'rand adjustable in a plane substantially at rightangles thereto, a bearing in the end of said arm, a sleeve rotatable in said bearing and supporting a hopper, and a race connected t'o'said sleeve and adjust able therewith.

V, {Jet-sawing machine, a hopto deliver 0 Tabs 150 said agitator. and means "A is v M 7,] 'J. L L, w '4. 4.

9mm momma therein, a baffiemoving; Wm Sill-1 ngmmm wnhm bhe hop 0 and movable Wiilh the same, and per ada 'ted to retard the flow 01": eyelets he- 10 for feeflmgg' eyelets over the baifietween we reservoir and the agitator,

plate to Stil ngliator, In testlmony .vhel'eofi ,1. have slgned. my

in :m eyeiet-settmg machme a hopname to this spesnicatlon.

tator themm, a reservolr adapted GE EGE W. JACQUES. 

